


A Five Letter Problem

by the_last_blues



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Canon can’t touch me, Child Neglect, Cussing, F/M, I'm at the point of fuck cannon, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Self-Indulgent, Spoilers, Stark!Reader, Swearing, There's language, Whatever you want to call it, also, bi!Reader, cursing, jewish!reader, like whatever
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-30
Updated: 2019-03-25
Packaged: 2019-09-02 11:48:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16786384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_last_blues/pseuds/the_last_blues
Summary: When you're suddenly reunited with your estranged father, you get a little more then you ask for. In the span of two weeks, your life is flipped upside down, you move out of your mother's small, Boston apartment, and into your father's enormous tower in NYC.Pretty soon you've found a family, and friends, but knowing who you know means danger is lurking just around the corner.So, you've gotten a fresh start at life, now what will you use it for?





	1. Prologue (1)

**Author's Note:**

> Just a few things to preface: first, this is my first fic, so please go easy on me. 
> 
> Second, as this is my first fic, I don't really know what I'm doing, so I'm just going to add tags and characters as they appear in the story. 
> 
> Edit: (2/25/19) I have made playlists to accompany each chapter, an up to date list is posted at the bottom.
> 
> Anyways, I hope all y'all enjoy, there are some notes that go a bit more into the details of the story at the end. Thanks!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is basically just the prologue, I'm probably going to make it a two-part prologue, we'll see. This part of the prologue is set before Age of Ultron but after Winter Soldier.
> 
> Edit (2/25/19): I've created playlists to accompany each chapter you can find the one for this chapter here (https://spoti.fi/2SmOrCg) and the rest in a list at end notes

You have a problem.

A five letter problem.

You have a problem that consists of your last name.

No, not your last name, his last name.

Your problem is the name Stark.

Specifically Tony Stark, that's your problem.

“What?”

“That’s what it says here, miss.”

“And I’ve told you that’s not right.”

“Miss that’s what your birth certificate says.”

“Bullshit.”

“Miss-”

“Bull. Shit,” you spit the last word like venom at the man in front of you.

“I’m sorry miss, but I’m required by law to contact your closest living relative in a situation like this.”

“He is not my closest living relative.”

“I’m sorry, but we have to make the call. However, you can do a blood test when he arrives if you’d prefer.”

“Fine, you know, whatever, go ahead, but I can personally guarantee that whatever document you have is wrong.”

“Alright miss. For the time being, do you have any relatives in the area you can stay with?”

“No, but I have a friend that will let me.”

“Excellent, why don’t you give me their phone number and I’ll be right back.”

You write down your best friend’s name and number on a piece of paper, then hand it to the man in front of you. Alice would help you figure this out, she always does. As the CPS worker leaves the room, you resign yourself to a long wait, filled with unwanted thoughts and brewing emotions. 

Today was finally the day. The last straw finally broke the camel’s back, and you were glad goddamnit. The camel didn’t have to struggle, and you didn’t have to fight to keep the camel going. 

The camel was your mother. More specifically your mother and her, well, less savory tendencies. She had never hurt you, and you knew she never would, but every day, in the early hours of the day while the sun was still behind the trees, yet the sky was starting to become just slightly lighter, your mother would come stumbling through the door. When this happened, she would smell like alcohol, weed, or some combination of the two. One particularly rough day she came home smelling like urine, that was fun.

You hated it, hated her.

No, you didn’t hate her — only it.

You knew you didn’t because every morning when she stumbled through the door you would always do the same thing. Fill a glass of water, start a shower, lay out fresh pajamas, replenish the water bottles in the fridge you always left there for her, tuck her in, and dispose of whatever substances she smuggled into the house. Then you would lay out her clothing for work, get the painkillers from their hiding spot in your room, ration out her dose of pills, re-hide the pills, and pack her a lunch before sneaking in a few fitful hours of sleep before you really had to get up.

If you hated her, you wouldn’t go through all that trouble for her.

A knock on the door shakes you out of your thoughts.

“Miss Y/L/N? May I come in?”

The same irritating voice of the social worker crept through the cracks in the door and into your ears. 

“Yes.”

“We contacted your friend Alice’s mother, and she says that she would be happy to take care of you until we can contact Mr. Stark.”

“When will she be here to pick me up?”

“20 minutes.”

“Alright, thank you.”

There's a moment of silence as you think, trying to figure out what else to say.

“I-I’m sorry, but I never caught your name.”

“Oh, of course, it’s Joshua James, but just Joshua works just fine.”

“Joshua. Got it.”

“Is there anything I can get you in the meantime?”

“No, I’m ok, thank you.”

“Well let me know if anything comes up, miss”

“Wait, Joshua, I actually can think of something. Any chance I could get a notebook and pencil in here? Please?”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thank you.”

Then, once again, he leaves you to your thoughts and the short, yet excruciatingly long wait.

\------

Tony’s POV:

Tony sits at the dinner table in Avenger’s Tower. His team around him, all eating Chinese food from the place down the street, talking, laughing, bonding, and having a good time. He’s listening in on a conversation between Natasha and Clint, who is in on one of his occasional visits to the tower, about whether or not water has a scent when Jarvis’s voice cuts through the din.

“Excuse me, sir, you have a call waiting for you in your office, they say it’s urgent.”

The conversations fade away for a second while Jarvis speaks.

“Thanks, Jarvis, tell them I’m on my way,” he paused and addressed the group, “I’ll be right back, try not to kill anyone or destroy anything while I’m gone, ok, kids?”

He could hear the uproar from the rest of the group, even outside the kitchen, and smirked to himself at his own joke. As Tony walked into the elevator he ran through a mental checklist of what the call could be about: Rhodey might be calling to check in? Unlikely as they had spoken the day before. Fury calling to ask about the team? Equally unlikely after the events that led to the fall of S.H.E.I.L.D just a few months ago. A business meeting he had forgotten about? Impossible, he had Jarvis take note of all of those the moment they were made. With the ding and lurch of an elevator reaching its destination, Tony steps into his office and decides he’s utterly stumped.

“Jarvis, patch me through to the caller please?”

“Done, sir.”

“Hello, this is Tony Stark, who am I speaking with.”

“Hello, Mr. Stark. This is Joshua Jones with Child Protective Services, I’m calling to inform you that your daughter has been removed from her mother’s custody, and, as you are her closest and only living relative, we are obligated to contact you about your daughter’s future living conditions.”

Tony is silent for a moment, contemplating what this man just told him, “I’m sorry, I think you have the wrong number.”

“You did say you’re Tony Stark, did you not?”

“I did, but I don’t have a daughter.”

“She seemed to think it was unlikely as well, but that’s what it says on the girl’s birth certificate.”

“Look, is this some kind of sick joke?”

“Sir, I can assure you I am serious.”

“What’s her name?” Tony says, in a soft, curious tone, after all, if he did have a daughter he knew exactly what he was going to do.

“Y/N Y/L/N”

“Oh,” says Tony, he does remember your mother after all. Of course, he will still need to run a DNA test, but damn it, he might have a daughter. He tries to form a coherent sentence over the commotion of thoughts in his head, but all he can muster is a confused, yet excited “huh.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so, I have no idea about any of the details of how CPS works (apologies), and the stuff online I found confusing, so I just kind of did what would work for the story...
> 
> Prologue One Playlist: https://spoti.fi/2SmOrCg  
> Prologue Two Playlist: https://spoti.fi/2tDFUkz  
> Prologue Three Playlist: https://spoti.fi/2H38h3e  
> Chapter One (four) Playlist: https://spoti.fi/2Frn8lQ


	2. Prologue (2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You flop down face first on your best friend’s soft bed, letting out a loud groan of contempt.
> 
> You had had a long week.
> 
> One of the longest of your life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so I guess this is now a three-part prologue, you can probably look for part three in two or three weeks.
> 
> For now, at least, I'm going to try and keep the plot similar to canon, but am definitely going to take artistic liberties. As for the future, we'll see.
> 
> Edit: (2/25/19): I've created playlists to accompany each chapter, this chapter's can be found here (https://spoti.fi/2tDFUkz) and the rest can be found in a list at the bottom

You flop down face first on your best friend’s soft bed, letting out a loud groan of contempt.

You had had a long week.

One of the longest of your life. 

“So, what’s the latest and greatest in Y/N’s messed up family chronicles?” Alice asks, and you can hear the smirk in her voice, picture it on her face.

“How’d you know?”

Alice had been your best friend for as long as you could remember.

Alice had been your family for as long as you could remember.

And her family had become just as much yours as it was hers.

“Bed flop, frustrated groan, and you just got pulled out of class today to talk with guidance and that guy from CPS, what's his name? Jonah? Jonathan?” Alice guesses a few more names before you cut her off.

“Joshua,” you correct her, “you ready?”

“I don’t know, am I?”

“So, they’ve been in touch with Stark-”

“Your possible father.”

“Yes, my possible father, thank you. Anyways, they said he's coming to meet me and take a paternal DNA test, which I’m sure will come back negative-”

“I don’t know, I can… Vaguely… see the resemblance.”

“Yeah, well, I can’t. As I was saying,” you shove as much indignation as you can into your words, “In three days he's coming to visit, and in the unlikely case that it does come back positive, I will be moving back to New York with him. CPS has already taken a look around his house- or, well, tower- and confirmed that it’s a fit place to raise a child.”

“Wow, New York City, huh.”

“Yeah… It’s a long way from Boston.”

“It is…”

“God, I wish none of this had happened. Sure, maybe my life with my mom and her, uh, situation wasn’t exactly ideal, but we had it worked out, you know. Alimony checks paid the rent and sure that only would have lasted another year, but we’d figure something out. We had a system, I took care of her, she got up and went to work every day, and I would sell psychic readings online to help make up for the money she would blow. It was okay, but now, I might be forced to leave my home, and you guys and go to New York City to live with a bunch of strangers.”

“Y/N, I’m sorry.”

The conversation lulled, leaving you and Alice to sit in sullen silence, and with silence came contemplation.

Your life was changing, rapidly and you couldn’t stop it.

Not this.

You couldn’t give up, had to do something, anything, you needed to be in control of one aspect of your life right now.

And it clicks.

“Alice, I have an idea.”

\-----

Tony’s POV:

“And that’s where we are right now. Questions?” Tony finished catching up the rest of the Avengers.

“Hang on,” Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose before moving his hand to rub his forehead and finishing his question, “You have a daughter?”

“Banner, buddy, did you hear anything I just said?”

“Oh no I did, I just think that for a genius you must be pretty damn dumb to have not used protection.”

“Thank you, for your astute observation, Banner. Anyone else?”

“Yeah, when did you find out about this, and why are you only telling us now?” Steve chimed in.

“I only found out about her when Child Services called me a week ago, and I’m telling you now because I need your help.”

“With what?” asked Nat.

“I want to know what to expect when I head up there to meet her, I want one of you to go into her school posing as a student teacher, or state inspector, or something, and take a look around.”

Nat coughs, “You want us to spy on your daughter?”

“Well, on the school in general, just to get a feel about what her education may have been like, how kids treat each other, that kind of thing, but yes, I do, a little bit.”

“Tony, this is crazy” Banner said, looking confused and mildly horrified.

“And?”

A long sigh issued from Natasha, “I’ll do it. I could use a little light espionage work to stretch my legs. Besides, I’d like to get a look at the Starkling myself.”

“You have got to be kidding me, this is a horrible idea,” Banner argues, desperately trying to keep his colleagues from going through with this, “Steve, come on, help me out here.”

“I would, but Stark’s a lost cause,” the man responds, causing Bruce to grumble in frustration.

“I’ll call Happy to get the plane ready, meet me back here in an hour, alright, Romanov? We’re going to Boston.”

\-----  
Your POV:

You rinse your hair out one last time before turning off the water and stepping out of the shower. Grabbing the towel off the rack next to you, you pat your hair down, so it’s somewhat dry before letting it fall from your head and taking in your appearance in the mirror.

Alice’s mom had helped you cut your hair into a short bob, leaving the curtain of hair sitting about an inch above your shoulders, and thanks to a quick trip down the street to CVS, as well as a small loan from Alice, your formerly Y/H/C hair was now a shining shade of Y/F/C. 

Looking at yourself in the mirror, you just couldn’t help, but giggle. It was so perfect, you couldn’t change anything significant in your life at the moment, but you could damn well change how you presented yourself. 

You could look how you wanted, and you loved it. 

Goddamnit, you loved it, you were you, and the rest of the world could judge you from afar because you felt new, excited.

You were ready for whatever the world threw at you because you had people that would stand with you no matter what.

So you looked at your face and your hair in the mirror, and you smiled.

You were ready.

\-----  
Tony’s POV:

The sun was just setting over the Boston skyline as the wheels of the plane finally touched down, and Tony couldn’t tell if the lurch in his stomach was from the plane or nerves.

No.

That was a lie.

He knew it was nerves.

He was going to meet his daughter.

He and Nat sit in silence until the plane stops and the pilot announces they can collect their stuff and get off.

Tony sits for a second more, preparing himself, Nat sees this and promptly puts a hand on his shoulder.

“It’s going to be alright, Tony. Trust me, this is going to be really good for you, ok?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s go.”

So he stands up.

He gets his stuff.

He walks off the plane, right behind his friend.

And he faces the day with a brave face.

\-----  
Your POV:

Bring bring bring.

You stir at the sound of Alice’s alarm.

Bring bring bring.

It takes a moment for you to compose yourself, staying at Alice’s is so new, it’s actually pleasant. 

Bring bring bring.

Alice turns the alarm off and the light on.

Time to get up.

“Morning,” you mutter.

“Morning.”

“Tuesday, right?”

“Tuesday.”

You sit up and feel the cold air of Alice’s room wash over you. You feel rested, more rested than you have in a long, long, time. Usually, you end up going to sleep until 10 or 11, depending on how many people ordered card readings that day, and how much homework you were assigned. Then anywhere from 4 AM-6 AM you’d hear your mother walk, or rather crash, through the door and then you’d spend half an hour helping your mother before you would try to get an hour more sleep. At Alice’s, though… At Alice’s, you could sleep all night and wake up in the morning without having to worry about anything. You hated to admit it, but it felt good.

“Well, are you going to get up or sit there and stare into space for the rest of the day?” Alice prompts you.

“Shut up, you haven’t moved either.”

“Go away.”

“No.”

“Ok, up, both of us.”

“Deal.”

An hour later you two are dressed, groomed, packed, fed, and walking to school. 

You look around at the familiar streets of your city and think about how you might have to leave soon. It’s sad, the city had been there, whenever you were in need of a pick me up you could take a train to the aquarium, sit on the roof and listen to the city, or head over to the park nearby. Boston was your home, you didn’t think you could actually leave it behind, you didn’t want to.  
You and Alice take the familiar route into the back door of the school and through the halls until you make it to the cafeteria, where the rest of your friends sit around- and on- your usual table. You hug each of them quickly before sitting down. 

Alice, Caitlin, Meg, Ari, and Taylor, your family. The six of you had been through hell and back together, when rumors that Alice and Ari were dating (stories that were true, but could not get out for numerous reasons) started flying, you stuck together, when they found out about your mother, you stuck together, and when Caitlin’s mental health took a turn for the worse, you stuck together.

Everyone knows the saying “blood is thicker than water,” but no one knows the full version: “blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.” You share everything, tangible and intangible. If one of you was sick, all of you are sick, because you share food, you share drinks, you share clothes, and you cuddle all the time. If one of you hated someone, you all did because you tell each other everything. Living life without them… God, the thought is hard for you to bear.

“I love you guys,” you say, your voice cracking in between the words.

“I know,” Taylor says, shuffling closer to you and pulling you into a hug, she whispers, “we love you too, so much. It’ll be ok.”

\-----  
Natasha’s POV:

Nat walks into the office at Oak Ridge Middle School, five minutes before she was due.

She had done espionage gigs before, including ones that involved going undercover, but never in a situation that was particularly safe, so this should be a walk in the park in her mind.

Her phone starts ringing, and she sighs, knowing Tony’s name would be on the screen.

“Tony, I told you not to worry about it.”

“I know you did, but I’m worried.”

“Good for you, now go take a nap or something.”

“Rude-”

She hangs up, cutting him off mid-word.

“Excuse me, Marybeth Stuart?” the office secretary says from behind her desk.

“Mary will do just fine. I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

“Oh, I’m Lisa Hess. Principal Cooke is ready to see you.”

“Thank you, Lisa, or would you prefer Ms. Hess?”

“Lisa is perfect, thank you. Mrs. Cooke is just down that hall, first door on the left.”

“Thank you.”

Nat makes her way towards the office, taking note of the newspaper clippings about the staff, students, and the school as a whole, hanging proudly on the wall. She, of course, had done her own recon, and already knew most of the information, but the fact that they were hanging up in the school was telling. It meant that they were proud, and took notice when people did well.

As she walked in the door she was greeted by a warm, yet professional office. The principal had pictures of her family on the walls, a soft couch with throw pillows on it in the corner, and one wall completely covered in a bookshelf that was overflowing with books.

“Hello, you must be the new substitute teacher,” Mrs. Cooke said kindly.

“Yes, that’s me, my name is Marybeth Stuart, but I prefer to go by Mary.”

“Excellent, please sit, Mary.”

“That’s a nice picture there, is that your daughter?” she asks, referring to a framed photograph of Mrs. Cooke with a woman and a little girl, all smiling happily.

“Yes, that’s my wife and me with our adopted daughter.”

“How sweet!” Natasha cooed, and there was an unusual sweetness creeping into her voice.

“Thank you. Now, most schools don’t do this, but we always have substitute teachers go through a day like a student before they start, just to give you a feel for things.”

“That’s what the email I got said,” Nat began, “I think it’s an excellent idea, us subs need to know what classrooms around here look like when the teachers are present, so students don’t mess with us.”

“Thank you, I agree,” said the woman, “anyways, here’s a schedule for you today. First, you’re going to Gym, then English, Math, lunch, History, Science, and finally Spanish.”

Natasha knew this already, she had hacked into the school’s database the day before and made her schedule an exact copy of Y/N’s.

“Sounds good, thank you. Is there anything else I need to know?”

“No, I think that’s all. You can head to your first class if you’d like, or the teacher's lounge is up the hall to the right.”

“Perfect,” Nat stood up, and walked to the door, but paused halfway there, “Actually, an old friend of mine who I haven’t spoken with in a while has a daughter that I think goes here. Her name’s Y/N Y/L/N.”

“Oh, yes, Ms. Y/L/N,” Mrs. Cooke paused, thinking about how to say her next words “Y/N is a highly intelligent, outspoken, and distinguished student. Unfortunately, her home life has been a little rough. Her mother got divorced when she was nine and then started to, well, abuse a few substances to try and cope. She was taken away by Child Services the other day.”

“Oh dear, that’s horrible.”

“Yes, well the guidance department is working with Child Services to try and reconnect with her father. I just ask that if you see her around today, don’t bring it up, the poor girl has been through enough.”

“Of course. Thank you, Principal Cooke.”

“Not a problem, I’ll see you this afternoon to sign off on your paperwork.”

“See you then.”

And with that, Nat slipped out of the office and down the hall to the teacher’s lounge, to do some more digging.

\----  
Your POV:

When the first bell rang, you said quick goodbyes with your friends before you and Ari slipped off to your first-period gym class.

“How you feeling?” Ari questioned softly.

“Like shit.”

“I can only imagine.”

The two of you sat on the bleachers, shoulder to shoulder. 

Ari pulled out her phone and started scrolling.

You sighed and pulled out your earbuds, handing one to Ari and putting one in your own ear before shuffling your playlist.

You sit like that for a while, waiting for the gym teachers to start class.

“Hey, who’s that woman?” Ari says to you, snapping you out of a quite pleasant daydream.

You look where she’s looking and see a redhead shaking hands with the teacher- Mr. Cochran.

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen her around.”

“It can’t be his wife, can it?”

“No. There’s a picture in his office, and that is most certainly not her.”

“Huh.”

Just then Mr. Cochran steps forward and begins taking attendance, bringing your conversation to a pause.

\-----  
Natasha’s POV:

Nat’s eyes scan the gym, looking for Stark’s mini-me.

She’s just thinking that no one there looks like a potential candidate when the gym teacher approaches her and introduces himself. He explains briefly how he runs the class and says he’s going to start attendance before stepping away.

This is her chance.

She waits, listening intently until Mr. Cochran calls the name she’s been waiting to hear. 

“Y/N Y/L/N.”

Her eyes scan the room, but she isn’t fast enough to spot the girl.

Mr. Cochran finishes and tells the kids they can either play dodgeball or walk around the track. Once he’s sure the kids are all set, he heads back in her direction, and they make idle small talk for a few minutes.

During a small rest in the conversation, she scans the room and notices two girls walking around the track and sharing earbuds. She mostly passes over the first girl but the second girl catches her attention, and as the teen walks Nat knows.

The second girl is Y/N, and she is most certainly Stark’s daughter.

Sure, Y/N may have Y/F/C hair, and her face may not resemble her friend’s, but Nat can see it in the way the girl carries herself. In her confident strides, in the tilt of her head, and in the way she interacts with her friend. 

She is Tony’s, and they’re going to be damn lucky to have each other.

\-----  
Tony’s POV:

“So, Nat, how’d it go.”

“It was good, she’s a good kid. Has an affinity for the arts and English, pretty good in Spanish and History, decent in Math and Science. She has a really tight-knit group of friends, and all the teachers gush over how outspoken and accomplished she is.”

“Do you think shes… You know?”

“Yeah Tony, she’s yours.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prologue One Playlist: https://spoti.fi/2SmOrCg
> 
> Prologue Two Playlist: https://spoti.fi/2tDFUkz
> 
> Prologue Three Playlist: https://spoti.fi/2H38h3e
> 
> Chapter One (four) Playlist: https://spoti.fi/2Frn8lQ


	3. Prologue (3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to meet Tony Stark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so that's the final prologue. Sorry about the abundance of prologues, it just felt right to separate them. 
> 
> In addition: I've made playlists to accompany each chapter. I'll link the one for this chapter here, and then put a list in the notes at the bottom, as well as in the notes of previous chapters.
> 
> Prologue Three Playlist: https://spoti.fi/2H38h3e
> 
> One last thing: sorry for the delay; high schools been kicking my ass. I can't promise regular updates, but they'll get done.

“Y/N, Alice! Breakfast!”

Alice’s mother calls shake you out of your stupor.

Slowly you sit up and meet Alice’s eyes. 

“Morning.”

“Morning.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Mildly nauseated, but that may just be because I’m hungry.”

Stretching, she slides her legs out from under the covers of her bed, placing them on the floor and after a moment you follow suit.

She sends you a soft smile as you walk out of the room and towards her kitchen.

Alice’s mom greets you with a kind smile and two plate filled with blueberry pancakes, eggs, and bacon. 

Alice’s mom, how would you even begin to describe Alice’s mom?

Alice’s mom was incredible.

Alice’s mom was one of your favorite people ever.

And no, not in a “Stacy’s Mom” kind of way.

Alice’s mom was the best parent figure you had. She was kind, responsible, and understanding. 

Alice’s mom hadn’t known about your mother.

Alice’s mom had just assumed that your mom worked a lot.

Alice had been sworn to secrecy.

“How’d you two sleep?” Alice’s mom’s voice snapped you out of your thoughts. 

“Really well, thank you,” you replied warmly, as Alice began to scarf down her food, almost as if she hadn’t eaten in years.

“I’m glad,” she responded, “Remind me of the plan today, Y/N?”

“I need to be there at one, I’m going to meet my supposed ‘father,’ we’re going to get like a half an hour for introductions, then we’re going to take DNA samples, and you’re going to need to be there around 2:45ish to help figure out where we go from there.”

Alice looks up from her breakfast for the first time since it was put down in front of her to ask, “Where do you go from there?”

“Well, the paternity test may come back negative, and then I guess I’d go into the foster system, if the paternity test comes back positive, and he likes me, I guess I’ll have to go live with him. Or, the test could come back positive, and he doesn’t like me, so I’d probably go into the foster system anyways.” 

The kitchen is oddly silent for a moment before Alice’s mom speaks up “I’ll tell you what, after breakfast we’re going to curl your hair, do your nails, get you all fancy, and if for any reason you end up in foster care, I’ve discussed it with Alice’s father, and we’re going to file for guardianship of you.”

It takes a second for you to process- file for guardianship, of you. 

You couldn’t believe it. It seemed too good to be true.

You could have a family, your very own family.

And you were certain that Stark wasn’t your father.

You were going to get your very own, loving, caring, family.

\-----  
Tony’s POV:

“Hello- uh- Joshua? Was it?” Tony says over a handshake.

“Joshua. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Stark. Have a seat.”

“Please, Tony.”

“Ah, of course, Tony,” Joshua smiles amicably, “So, just to review, Y/N’s going to be here soon to meet you, then, you’re going to take a paternity test, results of which should return in two to three days. After, Cleo Price is coming in, she’s Y/N’s best friend’s mom, who’s been looking after Y/N since we took her away from her mother, and we’re going to be discussing what the future holds for Y/N.”

“Two to three days for a paternity test? You know I could send that to my lab and have it back in a few hours.”

“To keep things impartial we’d rather not, thank you though,” Joshua is cut off by a buzz coming from the office phone on his desk, “Ah, that would be Y/N here now. I presume you’ve read over the file we provided you.”

“Of course.”

“Good, she’s on her way in.”

\-----  
Your POV:

You carefully, hesitantly, reach your hand out towards the door.

You make a fist.

You raise your fist.

And then you let it drop to your side.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Repeat.

Go back to step one.

Reach.

Fist.

Raise.

Let it fall. On the door this time.

“Come in!”

Joshua.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Repeat.

So you open the door.

“Hello, Joshua, Mr. Stark.”

\-----  
Four days later.  
Your POV:

“I can’t believe this is it,” Alice whispers.

You stand in a circle with your friends, holding hands, foreheads together. 

You stand in a circle with your family, arms around each other, hearts together.

“Y/N, if anyone hurts you, just call me, and I’ll fucking murder them, I swear to fucking God, I will smash their heads in,” Meg growls, just thinking about anyone trying to hurt her friends.

You let out a little giggle, the first in days.

“Thank you Meg, I love you too.”

“Promise me we’ll text every single day,” Caitlin says.

“I promise,” you respond solemnly.

“And we’ll have our weekly tea sessions every Sunday? Even if you’re only there on FaceTime?”

“Of course, 1:00-4:00 on Sunday afternoons are reserved for y’all.”

“Good,” Caitlin sighs.

“Hey Y/N/N, promise me if you’re even in trouble you’ll let us know?” Ari’s concerned eyes find yours, and hold them there for a minute.

A slight smile twitches at the corner of your lips, “Aria Brown, don’t you think for a second that you won’t be among the first to hear if anything happens. You always have been, haven’t you?”

She nods and squeezes your shoulder. 

“Taylor?” the girl tilts her head to the side, listening, when you say her name.

“No more stealing traffic cones, ok?”

“Shut up! It was one time!” she gives you an imploring look.

“Mhmm.”

“Listen, I didn’t know that if I was caught we could have been charged with seven years of community service!”

“Don’t do it again.”

“Fine.”

The friendly banter fades as you all look around at each other, wondering just when all of you would be together again.

“I love you guys. You know that.”

Behind you a car horn honks. Not loudly. Not harshly. Just a little chirp, but enough to let you know that the time for goodbyes was over.

“That’s me.”

“Let us know when you get off the plane, ok”

“Ok.”

You hug each of them individually one last time, holding back tears.

“See you later,” is the last thing you say before the door closes behind you.

“Have fun,” is the last thing you hear out of Alice’s mouth before the car door closes behind you.

The car begins to move and with it one of the tears you had be so desperate to quell slips past your lashes.

“Y/N, this is Natasha, but you can just call her Nat, or Tasha. She’s a good friend of mine, she lives in the tower too,” Tony relays this information, looking at you in the rear view mirror as you so stubbornly stare out the window.

“Hello,” you almost whisper, giving in for a second, figuring that if you’re going to be living with these people you should probably start off on a good note, no matter how much you don’t want to be there.

The woman turns around to smile at you from her seat.

You stare at her, confused. “Ms. Stuart?”

“Oh, yeah, sorry about all that. I was just undercover for some espionage practice,” the woman- Natasha- speaks nonchalantly, “My name’s actually Natasha Romanov, but I enjoyed meeting you the other day.”

“Alright… It’s nice to meet you then, Natasha,” you speak hesitantly, softly. You were so unsure of everything that was happening, you could barely think anything through without getting a headache.

“So, are you excited to see New York, Y/N?”

Tony’s question floats around in your head. Are you excited? You don’t know, but you figure you better go with the safest answer.

“Yes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prologue One Playlist: https://spoti.fi/2SmOrCg
> 
> Prologue Two Playlist: https://spoti.fi/2tDFUkz
> 
> Prologue Three Playlist: https://spoti.fi/2H38h3er
> 
> Chapter One (four) Playlist: https://spoti.fi/2Frn8lQ


	4. (1) White Teeth Teens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's two years later... Where's Y/N now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, ok so this chapter dragged a bit, but I got it done and I got it out (yay!)
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> (Playlist here: https://spoti.fi/2Frn8lQ)
> 
> Also, cannon is officially a flimsy, nearly nonexistent framework in this fic, hoorah.

“Oh my God!” you yell as the dinner table explodes with laughter, “You’re not serious!”

“Dead serious,” Natasha smirks back, her usual stoic demeanor letting a chuckle slip out.

“DAD! That’s horrible!” you jokingly shout at him.

“Ok, so maybe it wasn’t the best choice I ever made, but hey, I can’t change it now,” Tony replies, slightly defensive, but laughing with everyone else.

“You- you sent-” Sam doubles over in another fit of laughter, before trying to compose himself enough to make a comprehensible sentence, “You sent Nat, to spy on your daughter before you even met her or even knew if she was actually your daughter.”

Your father stares at the table, mildly ashamed.

“Christ, Tony,” Pepper chimes in, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“And where were you two during this?” Sam nudges Steve who was sitting next to him and nods at Banner across the table.

“I tried to talk him out of it!” Banner replies, shaking his head.

“Oh boy, you are never going to hear the last of this, dad,” you grin mischievously, “I think this gives me at least six months of leverage, if not a whole year.”

He groans.

As the conversation moves away from your father’s screw up you look around at where you are now compared to two years ago when that incident had happened. It had only taken a few months for you to settle in at the tower and fall in love with the city, as well as your new family. Your father had started you at Midtown High as soon as possible, and while it wasn’t what you were used to, you made some friends (none as good as your old ones, but you would take what you could get), and were honestly doing well. 

Of course, the big question when you first arrived was ‘what the hell are we supposed to tell the public.’ In the end, the general consensus was that you didn’t need all of the attention from the world you would get as a Stark, so they kept you secret. The school administration obviously knew, but since your last name was Y/L/N and not Stark your classmates finding out wasn’t an issue.

There had been no word directly from your mother, but your friends would always tell you when they bumped into her in the supermarket and stuff like that. Based on your limited information, she hadn’t improved. 

So you lived in the tower, you went to school, you lived a normal life, and everything was good. You were the secret daughter of Tony Stark.

“So Tony,” Clint says, and your attention snaps back to the conversation at hand, “What about that Spiderman you’ve been working with?” 

“What about him?” your father responds, looking curious.

“When are we going to meet the guy, I know he comes and works in the labs a ton, but you’ve never actually introduced us.”

“Eh, I don’t know if he’s ready to meet everyone after all you guys are pretty mean.”

A chorus of offended sounds escapes the table, as all of your inner drama queens showed through.

“I mean if you guys promise to be nice maybe I’ll bring the kid by tomorrow…”

“The kid?” you pipe up, eyebrows raised.

“Uhhhh,” your father races to come up with an explanation, but, unable to find one, simply replies, “I’ve said too much.”

“Congrats, Stark. The kid hasn’t even met us yet and you’ve given away part of his identity,” Nat quips.

And with that, you’re lost in thought again. Of course, you knew of Spiderman, you knew that he stopped by to work on stuff in the labs pretty often, but you had never actually met him and you had to admit you were curious. 

Your friends at school giggled behind their hands when watching videos of him doing his hero thing, obviously crushing on him. You rolled your eyes, but in your head, you wanted to get to know him too, just not for the same reasons. 

For two years now you had lived with superheroes, and in doing so discovered that they were some of the most fascinating people. You wanted to know the hero’s story, you wanted to get all of the details and write them down. You wanted to hear all of the stories, you wanted to get to know who was behind the mask, just as you had with all of the Avengers.

Pretty soon everyone began pushing in chairs and putting plates by the sink. It was your turn to do the dishes, so once everyone had left the room you slipped on your headphones, pressed play, and “Breaking Down” by Florence + The Machine echoes through the speakers and fills your brain. You roll up your sleeves, pull back your hair, which was still a shining shade of Y/F/C, and begin to clean.

\------  
The next morning.  
Your POV:

You open your eyes to a ringing alarm.

Stretching and yawning you slowly sit up, staring towards the wall of windows across from your bed. A beautiful pink, purple, orange, and blue splatters the sky visible beyond buildings, a sight that never fails to leave you awestruck. 

The colors swirl together and stain the clouds, reflecting off the sheer, glass sides of Manhattan buildings. Beige offices and grey cubicles all illuminated in shining color for a few moments each day. Immense beauty that, like all good things, many would never know. 

You wanted to freeze the spinning of the Earth.

Just for a few minutes.

Just so the tired, unenthused workers would be able to see just how incredible their work could be.

But you couldn’t.

You calmly slid out of your bed and walked over to the outfit you had set out the night before. School would begin in a little over an hour, and you needed to get ready. The sun would be there the next morning.

You slipped on your favorite jeans and threw on the soft sweatshirt that would keep you warm in the late winter/early spring chill, before padding to the kitchen.

At the door, you were met with the smell of coffee.

Wanda slips a plate with a bagel and lox on it towards you, your favorite.

“Thank you,” you smile at her.

She winks back at you.

Although she was one of the most recent additions to the tower, you had grown close with the woman. After all, she was much easier to gossip with and get advice from than anyone else around.

You dig into the bagel, a real New York one, as Wanda sits down across from you.

“So,” she says.

“So,” you say, in between bites.

“How are you?”

“I’m good, why?” you furrow your eyebrows at her, wondering where the almost intervention-like tone was coming from.

“Oh, no reason in particular. I just worry about you sometimes,” she tilts her head at you.

“I’m good, Wanda, really.”

“How about your friends?”

“They’re good.”

“Why don’t you invite them over sometime, I’d love to meet everyone!”

“You know why I can’t do that…”

“Right, you’re ‘not the Starkling.’ You should go over to one of their houses, then.”

“I would, but I’m always busy.”

That was a lie.

“I’m sure you could find the time. Tasha would gladly give you a day off training to meet up with some friends. Or if you wanted to go for dinner we could survive without you for one night.”

“Good point. Maybe sometime soon.”

That was also a lie.

“Good,” she caringly smiled at you, making you feel guilty, “Now off with you, finish getting ready and then get going before you’re late.”

You eat the last bite of your bagel and take a swig of water before running back to your room.

Studying your reflection in the mirror, you grab your hairbrush and start on your usual hairstyle. You follow that up by putting on makeup to your taste. When fully satisfied with your reflection, you head to the back elevator, which took you down to the back door out of the tower, from where you would head to the subway and then from there to your high school.

\-----

You walk through the doors to your school and find your friends in their normal spot. 

Alice, Caitlin, Meg, Ari, and Taylor-

Wait.

No.

Where did that come from?

Molly, Alicia, Leslie, and Will.

Molly, Alicia, Leslie, and Will. 

Those are your new friends.

Molly, Alicia, Leslie, and Will.  
That's right.

“Hey, guys,” you say as you join their cluster.

They all greet you before turning back to their conversation.

“I’m telling you, that’s what she said!”

“No way. There is no way they’re dating.”

The utterly uninteresting conversation fades into even more pointless background noise. Constant, monotonous, unchanging, the perfect backdrop for your wandering thoughts.

You thought back to the conversation you had had with Wanda that morning, how you had lied. Yes, you were busy, but that wasn’t the reason you never saw your friends outside of school. 

You would jump at the chance to grab coffee after school, have a movie night, or even to just sit around in a circle and zone out together; if they ever asked you.

Every Monday you’d hear about all the fun they had over the weekend, but they never asked ‘Hey, Y/N, how’d you like to have all this fun with us over the weekend? It’ll be great!”

Not once.

“Y/N? Hey! Earth to Y/N.”

You jump, noticing for the first time Alicia’s hand swinging back and forth in front of your face.

“Sorry, what’s up?”

“I asked what you thought about that post I sent you about Spiderman’s secret identity,” she pointedly says. 

“Oh, I didn’t see that. What did it say?” you indulge your friend, she was always sending you nonsense theories about Spiderman over Tumblr. Alicia was, at heart, a true fangirl.

“Apparently, he’s a ‘kid.’ They guessed he was like 16 based on his appearance!.”

“Oh, cool,” I tried to sound enthusiastic, but my father’s voice echoed in the back of my mind. I remembered him calling the hero a kid the night before, “What was their source?”

“They said it was super reputable, but they couldn’t reveal it yet.”

“Huh, I wonder who it could be,” you brushed it off, all of the theories Alicia sent you were pretty much nonsense, so you figured this was more of the same. 

You glanced around the hall you were in, your friends back to gossiping, and caught a glimpse of someone nearby staring at your group. Peter Parker. Caught, he quickly glanced away and fumbled with his locker. He seemed like a nice kid, definitely a smart one, he was in a few of your classes and you whenever you ended up working together he was good company, although shy. You had to admit, you wanted to be friends with him. He and his friends seemed way cooler than yours.

Then the first bell dragged you, kicking and screaming, back to reality.

“Alright, I’ll see all of you at lunch,” Molly promised.

“Good luck on your history test,” Leslie addressed Will.

“Thanks,” Will addressed Leslie.

“Look for that post I sent you,” Alicia told you sternly.

“I will.”

You wouldn’t.

And you all turned in different directions, moving through the crowd, into different classrooms, hallways, and stairwells.

\-----

_‘We ended up going off campus for lunch, sorry dude’_

_‘It’s ok, maybe just let me know next time so I can come…’_

You sighed as you pressed send on the text.

Great.

You looked around the cafeteria, searching for someone you could sit with.

Your eyes fell on tables that had open seats with people you didn’t know and full tables with people you knew.

Just when you believed your search would be fruitless, you spotted a table in the back corner which was pretty much empty, it’s only occupants were a girl you had a few classes with, named Michelle, her friend Ned, and a third person with a head of curls, whose back was to you.

Cautiously approaching, you make eye contact with Michelle and smile awkwardly.

She tilts her head, giving you a look that said ‘what’s up?’ and you opened your mouth to respond.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” she says.

“Do you mind if I sit here?” you ask. As you spoke, the figure that you previously couldn’t identify faced you, revealing a curious face that belonged to Peter. “My friends ditched me to go eat off-campus, and I don’t have many other options,” you explain with an apologetic smile.

“Yeah, sure,” she says, moving her books off the table across from her, opening up the seat next to Peter.

“Thank you,” the gratitude runs deep in your tone as you slip into the seat and set your bag down next to you.

“Your friends ditched you?” Ned inquires. You look up from your food just in time to see the accompanying look he sent to Peter. It was an expression you couldn’t quite read, but you shrugged it off.

“Yeah… At least they gave me a heads up this time, though.”

“This time?” Peter furrows his brow incredulously.

“This time,” you nod at him with a laugh.

“Dude, that sucks,” Michelle states bluntly.

“Thanks, Michelle.”

“M.J,” the girl smirks.

"Oh, sorry M.J."

"It's cool."

Everyone focuses on their food for a minute, before Ned addresses Peter, saying something about a LEGO Death Star.

All throughout lunch you find yourself laughing and smiling with the other three, you couldn’t remember last time you had enjoyed a lunch that much. You bonded over your nerdy interests and senses of humor. Gossiped about things that actually interested you. Hell, even poked fun at some of the popular kids. You were actually sad when the bell rang, cutting you off in the middle of an anecdote about a clumsy accident you had had the week before.

The last two periods of the day dragged by, and you were utterly exhausted by the time the final bell rang through your ears. 

You walk down the halls and turn the familiar corner that you would normally take to meet up with your friends. 

They’re right there.

You can see them.

You freeze.

They’re laughing.

They’re smiling.

They’re having a good time.

Once again, without you.

No.

They weren’t friends.

You turn around.

You walk away.

Out the doors.

Down the street.

Into the subway.

Home.

\-----

The familiar voices create a sense of peace around the table. 

Natasha tells about all the mistakes in training that day. While Clint, the subject of her ridicule, laughs next to her.

Sam laughs along.

Wanda smiles at the pair.

Steve shakes his head.

Vision looks mildly confused.

Bruce takes a bite of his food.

“Alright, alright! Everyone!” Tony calls. You look over at him, seeing he’s leaning half in, half out of the door as if hiding something behind it.

“The king needs silence!” Sam quips, making fun of your father’s attempt to shut up the group.

“Thank you, Sam, I do,” Tony goes along with the other man’s joke.

“You’re welcome,” Sam replies loudly, cutting off Tony as he opened his mouth to say something.

“Ok, really everyone. Quiet please.”

“At your request-”

“Get on with it!” Clint shouts. The group cheers in agreement.

“For god’s sake, Clint, I’m trying.”

“At your request…” he continues at an infuriatingly slow pace, “I have invited a guest to dinner tonight.”

Remarks ranging from “oooh!” to “who” to “can I get back to my burger already” issue from those gathered.

“May I present,” a drumroll breaks out amongst the team “Spiderman!” 

He throws the door open behind him to reveal a boy with unruly brown hair and a nervous smile, that slides into confusion when his brown eyes meet your Y/E/C ones.

“Y/N?”

“Peter?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prologue One Playlist: https://spoti.fi/2SmOrCg
> 
> Prologue Two Playlist: https://spoti.fi/2tDFUkz
> 
> Prologue Three Playlist: https://spoti.fi/2H38h3e
> 
> Chapter One (four) Playlist: https://spoti.fi/2Frn8lQ

**Author's Note:**

> I've been reading self-insert fics (or imagines, whatever floats your boat), for a few months now and never really found Y/N portrayed in a way that I could fully identify with. I'm sure others could, but I decided to go ahead and write one for people like me, hence the bi!reader and Jewish!reader tags, lol. If you have a problem with the fact that Y/N identifies as either of those things, please keep in mind that this fic was written for people with those identities and maybe keep your comments about that to yourself unless they are thoughtful, constructive, and not hateful.
> 
> Anyways, if you have any constructive criticism or advice that I did not address above, I'd love to hear it, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Prologue One Playlist: https://spoti.fi/2SmOrCg  
> Prologue Two Playlist: https://spoti.fi/2tDFUkz  
> Prologue Three Playlist: https://spoti.fi/2H38h3e  
> Chapter One (four) Playlist: https://spoti.fi/2Frn8lQ


End file.
